Government to consider clearing port city

The government today?said that its cabinet of ministers had decided to consider clearing the?Chinese funded port city project after its gets the environmental clearance.

Cabinet Spokesperson Rajitha Senaratne told journalists that the that the cabinet had also decided to take the project away from the Sri Lanka Ports Authority (SLPA) and hand it over to the Urban Development Authority (UDA).

?Since it is an urban development project it should be under the UDA and not the SLPA. Further, the project had not got all the environment clearances. Once the clearances are secured, the government will consider recommencing the project,? Senaratne said.

?On a proposal made by Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe to instruct the central environmental authority to start a complete environmental impact assessment with the assistance of relevant institutions and on the completion of its studies to reconsider the recommencing of the above project was approved by the cabinet of ministers,? Senaratne added.

The US$1.4 billion Colombo port city project funded by China Communications Construction Company LTD was suspended by the new Sri Lankan government which took office in January after concerns were raised over some aspects of the project.

However the government said last month that it had appointed a fresh committee to study the possibility of continuing the project which is set to attract 20 to 25 billion US dollars of foreign investments once completed.